The performance is alternating current, made up of long pauses and applauded returns. But for Rafa Nadal even the return to Barcelona after yet another long absence was illusory: the Spanish champion, on the red clay so dear to him, after having made his debut by beating the blue Cobolli, had also toyed with the idea of beating Alex De Minaur, and thus reach the third round of the Catalan ATP 500. He would have been the oldest in the history of the tournament to do so, but the race stopped for the Majorcan: when the Australian accelerated, the story ended. Nadal commits 42 errors and the Aussie tennis player takes the match in two sets 7-5 6-1, the first Australian to beat the former no.1 on clay. However, on the track named after him since 2017, Nadal warmed the hearts of the fans who gave him a standing ovation after the defeat, which was also joined by the winner De Minaur. However, Nadal does not want to miss the appointment with Roland Garros, his tournament having won in Paris more than anyone else (14 times): he has in fact requested protected ranking to access. In the entry list for the second Slam of the season there are nine Italians directly admitted to the draw. There is also Matteo Berrettini, who returned to the top 100 after the title won in Marrakech (and did not need the protected ranking to be admitted).
The Roman, number 98 in the world, did not need to use the protected ranking to be admitted into the main draw of the second Slam of the season. The Italians on the list are Jannik Sinner (n.2), Lorenzo Musetti (24), Matteo Arnaldi (40), Lorenzo Sonego (51), Flavio Cobolli (62), Luciano Darderi (64), Luca Nardi (81) and Fabio Fognini (95). Four women: Jasmine Paolini (number 14 WTA), Lucia Bronzetti (46), Elisabetta Cocciaretto (55) and Martina Trevisan (78). And the Florentine beat the former n.1, Naomi Osaka, in the first round at the Rouen tournament (WTA 250) 6-4 6-2.
Meanwhile, in Barcelona the adventure of Andrea Vavassori, who brought back to the tournament as a lucky loser, in the second round he lost to the Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets with a score of 4-6 6-3 6-1 in just over two hours of play. For Bautista Agut it was the third success in as many direct matches against the Italian, and now in the round of 16 he will face the British Cameron Norrie, seeded number 12 in the seeding. Musetti also leaves the scene: the Carrarino lost in two sets (7-6 6-4) to the Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena.